Mistress Minded (11 page)

He kissed his way up her body, scraping his teeth over her until he found her mouth, all the while thrusting his fingers deep inside her. He sucked her into his mouth and pulled, needing to quench the thirst he had for Jayne. She was gasping his name now, her nails biting into his shoulders.

He felt her tightening around him and then she screamed as her body convulsed. He lifted his head and looked down at the woman in his arms. She met his gaze with a totally unguarded expression, and he felt sucker-punched by the emotion he saw shining in her eyes. He was unworthy of her love. He wasn't the guy she needed to make her dreams come true.

Adam stepped back and stripped off his shorts, then pulled her panties down her legs and tossed them aside without saying a word. She bit her lower lip and watched him, the emotions on her face joined by something else. Fear, pity, anger? He wasn't sure, but he sensed she knew he was running.

He didn't want to think or feel anything other than the hot desire pulsing through his veins. This was the one thing he could count on.

He took a pillow from the head of the bed and pushed it under her hips. Knowing this was the best that he could give her, he brought her to a second climax with his mouth on her.

Shuddering, she reached for him, taking his erection in her hand and pulling him toward her body. “I need you.”

He needed her, too. He needed her to promise she'd never leave him, but he knew he couldn't ask for that. And he sensed her keen eyes saw that desire inside him. He flipped her over on her back.

Adam used his teeth to pull her dress down her body and drop it on the floor. He held his hand at the small of her back when she would've turned over.

He traced her spine with his tongue, then dropped nibbling kisses there, caressing the rounded curves of her hips and tracing the seam between her cheeks with his tongue. He parted her legs and slid up over her body, rubbing himself against her until she raised her hips.

Adam lifted her slightly and slid into her body from behind. Clasping her hands in his, he moved slowly, though he clamored for release. His penis was so hard he felt as if it had been years since he'd found satisfaction instead of the few hours since they'd left their suite this morning.

But he wanted this to be more than just release. He wanted to give Jayne more than she'd ever experienced with any other man, so he kept his thrusts slow and steady. He bit her neck at the base and tickled the flesh there with his tongue.

And when he knew he couldn't hold back any longer, he slid his hands down her sides and held her
hips while he thrust harder and harder into her. He felt her body clenching around his a second before release surged through him and he emptied himself into her.

He collapsed on top of her, shutting his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see what Jayne was feeling. But as he lay there in a euphoric haze, he prayed that she'd agree to live with him, for the glimpse of heaven he'd just had in her arms was the closest thing to paradise he'd ever found.

J
ayne spent the afternoon of her second to last day on the island with Didi in the spa, being pampered. Adam had given her the time off and said he didn't want to see her until she relaxed. Jayne couldn't believe the changes that their time here had wrought in him. He was a different man than she'd known before, and he'd put to rest her girlish dreams of Mr. Right. Adam was so much more compelling.

Still, much of their relationship was up in the air. She didn't know what he planned to do when they returned. Jayne had already drafted a resignation letter in her head and knew that she'd gambled her heart for Adam. But she felt confident she was going to come up a winner.

Though he was careful to never make promises he couldn't keep, she knew that Adam didn't want to let her go. He'd told her as much last night in bed, in the quiet hour just before dawn when life seemed almost perfect.

“I can't believe we're leaving here in a few days,” Jayne said to Didi now. “You must love living here. It's like heaven on earth.”

“Not really,” the older woman replied with a small smile. “But I do like it.”

“Why are you selling it?” she asked. Didi and Ray weren't really old enough to retire, and they seemed to enjoy the resort. Ray was always in the beachfront bar, telling stories and entertaining the guests.

“Ray and I have to travel a lot with our jobs. So staying here isn't an option anymore.”

Jayne wondered about the couple. They kept their lives private, but Jayne had been studying couples since the second grade, when one of the girls at her school had asked if Jonathon O'Neil, her mother's current lover, was Jayne's stepfather. She hadn't realized until that moment that other families didn't have a rotating male in their households.

“What is your job? I hope you aren't offended if I say so, but neither of you seems to know a lot about the hotel industry.”

“We don't. We're more experts on human nature. That's why finding a couple in love to buy the resort is so important.”

“I can see how that would be nice, but from a business standpoint it lacks a little credibility.”

“Are you always business-minded, Jayne?” she asked.

Jayne tried to be, because life had proved easier that way. But lately she seemed to be more family-minded. Her head filled with images of her and Adam and a brood of kids that belonged to them. Of she and Adam creating the family they'd both always craved and never had. Of them living in a big house and growing old together.

She sighed. “Usually. Lately, though, not as much.”

“It seems to me humans use business to occupy their lonely lives instead of seeking out comfort in each other.”

“Perhaps. But there is a very nice feeling that comes with success.”

“Yes, there is.”

A timer went off at the drying station, letting them both know the nail polish on their toes was dry. Jayne slid her feet into the spa thongs she'd brought, and stood. “I'm glad we got to spend the day together.”

“Me, too. I'll see you at dinner,” Didi said, exiting the spa.

Jayne took her time gathering her bag and walking up the path toward their suite. She would miss the island. Even if Adam purchased it she probably wouldn't be coming back here for a while. She thought about her travel goals and decided she'd add
in all the countries she wanted to visit, not confining herself to the fifty states. She could get used to island living.

When she reached the suite, she opened the door and found Adam on the phone. She observed him as he talked, making notes on the pad in front of him. His wore a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian print shirt that he'd left unbuttoned.

She dropped her bag inside the doorway. Adam looked up and smiled at her, gesturing that he'd only be a few more minutes. She took a bottle of seltzer water from the minibar and settled on the love seat, watching him. She didn't listen to his conversation, just let the sound of his voice wash over her.

Closing her eyes, she tried not to put too much hope into thoughts of the future, but knew it was too late. She'd fallen hard for Adam.

“How was the spa?” he asked, dropping down on the cushion next to her.

He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close to his side, then bent down and kissed her. He'd told her a couple of times how her mouth enticed him.

“Relaxing. I enjoyed it. Thanks for insisting I go,” she said, when he lifted his head.

“No problem. I know I can be demanding sometimes, but I wanted you to see that I can also be generous.”

Adam was acting a little odd. She couldn't put her
finger on it, but something was different about him. “I already knew that.”

“That's right, you're the—what did you call it?—facilitator of my generosity?”

“That's right. You're usually very generous toward women at the end of your affairs. Should I be worried?”

“No. This isn't like any relationship I've had before.”

Me, either, she thought. He opened his arms and she sank against him. Sometimes she felt so vulnerable around him that she thought she'd break into a million pieces. But when he held her she felt safe and that her love was a good thing. She closed her eyes now and breathed deeply of his spicy masculine scent.

“I have another present for you.”

“Where?”

“On the bed.”

“You don't have to keep buying me things.”

“I like to spoil you, Jayne.”

“Why?”

“Do I need a reason?”

“No,” she said, but it worried her. She knew Adam well enough to realize he used his money as a shield.

“I want tonight to be special for you, and my present is just part of that.”

He ushered her into the bedroom, where she found an exquisite cocktail gown lying on the coverlet.
Adam left her to dress, saying he had plans to make. Her heart beat faster as she realized he must have something important on his mind if he was going to all this trouble just for her.

 

“Buona notte,”
Ray said in a greeting when they arrived in the lounge for a predinner drink. Adam would be happy to have the resort business out of the way so he could concentrate on Jayne. He no longer felt a burning need to destroy this place and make it into something it wasn't. He could appreciate the charm of the resort and separate that from the betrayal he'd felt with his father.

“I've made arrangements for us to dine on our private veranda,” their host announced. “The sunsets are spectacular there.”

“Thanks, Ray.”

“Nothing but the best for our ladies tonight.”

Didi rolled her eyes, but a smile lingered on her lips, and for the first time since Adam had met the couple, they seemed to be almost at peace with one another.

“Our ladies should always have their heart's desire.”

“Jayne said you'd found the treasure box?” Didi asked as Ray led the way through the public rooms to their private quarters.

“We did. The trail isn't that hard to find. Even if you decide not to sell to me I think you should jazz
it up a bit. Jayne spoke to a professional treasure hunter and he'll help embellish the tale and make the search a little harder.”

“Good suggestion,
compare.
I've implemented many of things you recommended. You really know your stuff when it comes to resorts.”

Getting the resort didn't matter as much as it once had. Adam was happy to have had this time on the island with Jayne. If they didn't acquire Perla Negra, he'd buy some land and develop his own resort based on a legend. Maybe he'd bring Jayne with him to oversee the construction. “It's what I do. And frankly, I love it.”

Ray nodded. He took a cigar out of his pocket, but Didi reached over and snatched it out of his hand before he could light it. “I've always felt the same about my job. Sometimes this one gives me
agita.
But otherwise things aren't so bad.”

“I can tell. Not many owners would hold out for the kind of buyer they want for their resort. I can tell the property means more to you than just a quick buck.”

“Well, you can't take it with you,” Ray said with a laugh. Didi joined him.

They arrived at a large veranda, where a table was set for four. An ice bucket stood next to the table with a magnum of champagne in it.

“We got off track,” their hostess murmured. “Did you like the cave? Did you read the incantation?”

“I did. I took a stone,” Jayne said quietly.

“I'm not surprised. What about you, Adam?” Didi asked.

“I did, too.”

Jayne glanced at him from under her eyelashes, and he felt her reproval. When Didi excused herself to check on the dinner, and Ray followed her inside, Jayne turned to Adam. “You don't have to lie to them about it. They know you're too…practical to believe in that legend,” she stated.

He said nothing, just reached into his pants' pocket and pulled out the stone to show her. She swallowed hard and stared at him. Adam felt that strange feeling in his chest again when she gazed up at him, this time with her heart in her eyes.

He caressed her face, tilting her head back and capturing her lips with his own. Sipping carefully at her mouth, he treated her like the rare treasure she was. He found it hard to believe that feisty, sassy Jayne was the answer to the empty part of his life.

“What did you wish for?” she asked after a minute.

“I'm not supposed to tell.”

“I hope it comes true, Adam,” she said fiercely.

“You're the only one who can make that happen.”

She trembled under his hands. “Same here, stud muffin.”

“Woman, you are asking for it.”

“When have I ever pretended not to be?” she said.

“Let's have a toast,” Ray said, stepping back outside before Adam could respond.

But Adam reached down and pinched Jayne's backside surreptitiously as they walked to the table. She gave him a look over her shoulder that made his blood flow heavier and his body stir to life.

Didi joined them a moment later, carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres. Setting it on the table, she took a flute from Ray. Once they all had a glass in their hand, Ray slipped his arm around Didi and looked at Adam, raising his flute. “To the new owner of La Perla Negra. May he find love and happiness as well as prosperous times ahead.”

Adam felt a queer sensation in his stomach as he realized what Ray was saying. He couldn't lift his glass and drink, but turned to Jayne and took her in his arms. She stretched up and gave him a kiss that shook him. His hands were trembling with desire when she sank back onto her own chair.

“Now we drink,” Ray said.

“Now we drink,” Adam agreed. They all sipped the Asti and Adam took it as a sign. They sat down at the table. Everything in his life was coming together. After years of working and struggling to right the wrongs of the past, he was going to have the resort that had led his father to ruin. Adam had a woman by his side who he knew was a partner in business as well as in life. And he was finally coming to terms
with the fact that his heart wasn't as well-guarded as he'd always believed.

Dinner went by in a haze of pleasure, and Adam realized that the only thing missing from his life was a commitment from Jayne. But in a few hours, he'd have all the pieces in place.

 

Jayne emerged from the bathroom wearing her one-of-a-kind negligee.

“Close your eyes,” Adam told her.

She did as he asked. Beneath her feet she felt something soft and cool, and peeking from under her lashes, she saw rose petals. Their fragrance filled the room.

“I can't keep my eyes shut for long,” she warned, crossing the room toward the sound of his voice. She hated not being able to see. It made her feel exposed.

“Sure you can,
chère.
It's worth it, I promise,” he said. This time his voice came from a different direction.

She turned toward it, sliding one foot at a time in front of her to make sure she didn't run into anything. “I can't stand it. I want to see.”

Large and warm, his hands covered her eyes. “I had no idea you were so impatient.”

“It's not really impatience as much as vulnerability. I hate that feeling.”

She felt his lips brush hers, with a back and forth motion that made her stand on her toes and try to pull
him closer. But when she reached for him, he wasn't where she'd expected him to be.

“You don't have to seduce me. I'm already yours,” she said, knowing the words were true. There was no other man who could make her forget the painful lesson she'd learned as a child, and remember her secret dreams. No other man who tempted her to believe that those dreams might have a chance of coming true. No other man who made her forget a time when they hadn't been together.

“Are you?” he asked. He touched her face, tenderly tracing her cheekbone and the line of her nose. She wished she could see his expression. Adam gave so little away and she was tired of trying to guess at the depth of his feelings.

“You must know that I am,” she said. She wasn't going to hide from him.

They were scheduled to go home tomorrow afternoon, and she knew that once they returned to New Orleans, reality would come crashing down. She'd prayed that reality might mean a marriage of her life with Adam on the island and the one they'd had before. But she couldn't tell what he felt. She thought he loved her…well, knew he cared deeply for her. The way he held her at night, so close and tight, told her it had to be more than sex.

“Good,” he said, quiet satisfaction in his words.

He wrapped a length of silk around her head, covering her eyes. “How's that?”

“Adam…”

“What?” His mouth was against the back of her neck, moving slowly downward. “You can't see and my hands are free.”

She swallowed her doubts and said, “Do your worst, stud muffin.”